Alex Nicholson (fighter)
Alexander Nicholson (born May 2, 1990) is an American professional mixed martial artist formally competing in the heavyweight division of the Professional Fighters League. A professional competitor since 2014, he has competed for the UFC and Legacy Fighting Alliance.[1]
| Alex Nicholson | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 2, 1990 Apopka, Florida, United States |
| Other names | Spartan[1] |
| Residence | Orlando, Florida, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Weight | 220.6 lb (100.1 kg; 15.76 st) |
| Division | Heavyweight Light Heavyweight Middleweight[2] |
| Reach | 77.5 in (197 cm) |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Team | American Top Team Orlando UFC Gym Winter Springs |
| Rank | Blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black belt in Tae Kwon Do[3] |
| Years active | 2014–present |
| Professional boxing record | |
| Total | 2 |
| Wins | 1 |
| By knockout | 1 |
| Losses | 1 |
| By knockout | 1 |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 23 |
| Wins | 14 |
| By knockout | 13 |
| By submission | 1 |
| Losses | 9 |
| By knockout | 4 |
| By submission | 1 |
| By decision | 4 |
| Amateur record | |
| Total | 9 |
| Wins | 3 |
| Losses | 6 |
| Other information | |
| Boxing record from BoxRec | |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Background
Born and raised in Apopka, Florida, Nicholson played basketball growing up before being introduced to martial arts and boxing. In boxing, he was a Florida Golden Gloves Champion, as well as a state amateur Muay Thai champion, in which he was undefeated.[4]
Mixed martial arts career
Early career
After an amateur career in 2012 and 2013 where he held a record of 3-6, Nicholson made his professional MMA debut in February 2014. He amassed a record of 6 wins against 1 loss before signing with the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Nicholson made his UFC debut on February 6, 2016 at UFC Fight Night: Hendricks vs. Thompson. He faced Misha Cirkunov on the card and lost the fight via submission in the second round.
In his second fight for the promotion, Nicholson faced Devin Clark in a Middleweight bout at UFC Fight Night: McDonald vs. Lineker on July 13, 2016. He won the fight via knockout in the first round.
In his third fight for the promotion, Nicholson faced Sam Alvey at UFC Fight Night: dos Anjos vs. Ferguson on November 5, 2016. He lost the fight by unanimous decision.
In his fourth fight for the promotion, Nicholson faced Jack Hermansson at UFC Fight Night: Gustafsson vs. Teixeira on May 28, 2017. He lost the fight via TKO in the first round. Subsequent to this fight, Nicholson was released from the promotion.
Professional Fighters League
In June 2018, Nicholson entered into the $1 million Heavyweight tournament held by Professional Fighters League. He faced |Jake Heun in the opening round at PFL 1 on June 7, 2018. He won the fight via knockout due to a flying knee in the second round. On July 19, Nicholson lost via TKO to Phillipe Lins at PFL 4. In October 2018, Nicholson defeated Jack May by TKO but then lost later that night via KO to Josh Copeland.
In June 2019, NIcholson entered the second season of PFL's Heavyweight tournament and lost a decision to Francimar Barroso. In August, he defeated Zeke Tuinei-Wiley. On October 31, Nicholson lost a rematch against Barroso again by decision. In December 2019, Nicholson was suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission for four years due to testing positive for three steroids.[5]
Professional boxing
Nicholson made his professional boxing debut in 2015, a KO win. He fought again two months later and lost via KO to Simon Kean.[6]
Mixed martial arts record
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 23 matches | 14 wins | 9 losses |
| By knockout | 13 | 4 |
| By submission | 1 | 1 |
| By decision | 0 | 4 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 14–9 | Francimar Barroso | Decision (unanimous) | PFL 9 | October 31, 2019 | 2 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | 2019 PFL Heavyweight Quarterfinal bout. |
| Win | 14–8 | Zeke Tuinei-Wily | TKO (punches) | PFL 6 | August 8, 2019 | 1 | 3:07 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | |
| Loss | 13–8 | Francimar Barroso | Decision (unanimous) | PFL 3 | June 6, 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | Uniondale, New York, United States | |
| Loss | 13–7 | Josh Copeland | KO (punch) | PFL 8 | October 5, 2018 | 1 | 1:27 | New Orleans, Louisiana, United States | 2018 PFL Heavyweight Semifinal bout. |
| Win | 13–6 | Jack May | TKO (leg kick and punches) | 1 | 2:03 | 2018 PFL Heavyweight Quarterfinal bout. | |||
| Loss | 12–6 | Philipe Lins | TKO (punches) | PFL 4 | July 19, 2018 | 2 | 3:39 | Uniondale, New York, United States | |
| Win | 12–5 | Jake Heun | KO (flying knee) | PFL 1 | June 7, 2018 | 2 | 0:58 | New York City, New York, United States | |
| Win | 11–5 | Ricco Rodriguez | TKO (submission to punches) | AFC 24: CamSoda Legends | April 26, 2018 | 1 | 1: 27 | Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States | Return to Heavyweight. |
| Loss | 10-5 | Ryan Spann | KO (punches) | Legacy Fighting Alliance 32 | January 26, 2018 | 1 | 4:24 | Lake Charles, Louisiana, United States | For LFA Light Heavyweight Championship. |
| Win | 10-4 | Daniel Madrid | TKO (punches) | Iron Boy MMA 9 | November 18, 2017 | 1 | 1:42 | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | Middleweight bout. |
| Win | 9-4 | Chris Barnett | KO (elbow) | Island Fights 42 | October 14, 2017 | 1 | 0:40 | Pensacola, Florida, United States | |
| Win | 8-4 | Demoreo Dennis | KO (elbow) | Next Level Fight Club 8 | September 16, 2017 | 1 | 1:06 | Raleigh, North Carolina, United States | Return to Heavyweight. |
| Loss | 7-4 | Jack Hermansson | TKO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Gustafsson vs. Teixeira | May 28, 2017 | 1 | 2:00 | Stockholm, Sweden | |
| Loss | 7-3 | Sam Alvey | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: dos Anjos vs. Ferguson | November 5, 2016 | 3 | 5:00 | Mexico City, Mexico | |
| Win | 7-2 | Devin Clark | KO (punch) | UFC Fight Night: McDonald vs. Lineker | July 13, 2016 | 1 | 4:57 | Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States | Return to Middleweight. |
| Loss | 6-2 | Misha Cirkunov | Submission (neck crank) | UFC Fight Night: Hendricks vs. Thompson | February 6, 2016 | 2 | 1:28 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Light Heavyweight bout. |
| Win | 6–1 | Chaz Morgan | TKO | Island Fights 34 | August 1, 2015 | 1 | 4:03 | Pensacola, Florida, United States | Won Island Fights Heavyweight Championship. |
| Win | 5–1 | Dillon Cleckler | KO (spinning back fist) | Island Fights 33 | March 28, 2015 | 2 | 1:34 | Pensacola, Florida, United States | |
| Win | 4–1 | Ronnie Phillips | TKO (head kick and punches) | Florida Championship Fighting | January 30, 2015 | 1 | 4:08 | Fern Park, Florida, United States | Light Heavyweight bout. |
| Win | 3–1 | Chase Sherman | TKO (spinning back fist) | Island Fights 31 | December 5, 2014 | 1 | N/A | Pensacola, Florida, United States | Heavyweight debut. |
| Win | 2–1 | Derrick Brown | Submission (neck crank) | Top Alliance Combat 3 | September 6, 2014 | 1 | 4:56 | McDonough, Georgia, United States | Light Heavyweight debut. |
| Loss | 1–1 | Mark Inge | Decision (unanimous) | Top Alliance Combat 1 | April 12, 2014 | 3 | 5:00 | McDonough, Georgia, United States | |
| Win | 1–0 | Baraq Hunter | KO | Island Fights 27 | February 8, 2014 | 1 | 0:37 | Pensacola, Florida, United States |
References
- "Alex Nicholson going full 'Spartan' at LFA 32: 'I'm going to kick him right into the well'". 26 January 2018.
- "Alex Nicholson picks up heavyweight win, aims for UFC return". 17 September 2017.
- "Alex Nicholson - Official UFC® Profile". www.ufc.com.
- "Alex Nicholson | UFC". www.ufc.ca.
- Alexander, Mookie (2019-12-18). "PFL's Alex Nicholson suspended four years after testing positive for three steroids". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved 2020-12-13.
- "BoxRec: Alex Nicholson". boxrec.com.
